Santa, also known as UPS to some, failed epically this holiday season, acknowledging that deliveries expected to make it under the tree by the 25th would be delayed.

“The volume of air packages in our system exceeded the capacity in our network,” UPS spokeswoman Natalie Godwin said in a statement.

A day later, rival FedEx admitted that they were also swamped, failing to deliver holiday cheer to many anxious customers.

“We’re sorry that there could be delays and we’re contacting affected customers who have shipments available for pickup,” Scott Fiedler, a spokesman for FedEx, told the Associated Press Wednesday.

Pressed Christmas afternoon, a supervisor at 1-800-GoFedex, the customer support line, went further in a call with NBC News. He declined to give his last name, citing company policy, but acknowledged “extraordinary” delays at the shipping giant and said his team had been apologizing to customers.

“We give our apologies to customers,” he told NBC News, noting that bad weather had crippled planes and delivery trucks and unforeseen demand swamped what vehicles remained in operation.

Not surprisingly, the internet exploded with angry customers commenting on the Christmas that was ruined by both companies.

“UPS SUCKS,” wrote Kip Ingram in a post on the company’s Facebook page, just a short scroll from a “Happy Christmas” message from the company’s delivery crew. “They just FAILED. SUCK, SUCK, SUCK!”

“Merry Christmas FedEx,” wrote Teri Martin in Phoenix, Arizona. “Thanks for taking my money, ruining my son’s Christmas and taking days off to avoid dealing with desperate customers trying to find out how to get their packages! NEVER AGAIN!!!”

For many, it was the difference of having anything at all under the tree.

“My kids and the rest of my extended family have no presents,” a deflated Jill Amaya told NBC News.

In a statement, UPS said that only “a small percentage” of packages were affected and pledged that most of these would arrive by Thursday.

“UPS understands the importance of your holiday shipments,” the company said in a Christmas Day statement on its website. “However, the volume of air packages in our system exceeded the capacity of our network immediately preceding Christmas so some shipments were delayedBut that corporate response wasn’t enough for a woman waiting for her passport to go on a Christmas vacation, or the little boy without any presents under the tree.

The companies haven’t specified what caused the network to break down, but let’s hope they get it together for next year.